V 2 states "It is vain for you to rise early, to retire late, to eat the bread of anxious labors - For He gives (blessings) to His beloved even in his sleep" AMP
V2 in NKJV "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He gives His beloved sleep"
Some key words just pop out:
1. Early mornings, late nights
2. Bread of sorrows
3. Beloved of the Lord
4. Sleep of the Lord
1. Early mornings, late nights
This sounds like a life of a working person. Its the description of a typical working day.
We wake up before the sun is up (the sky is dark), we go home after the sun sets (the sky is dark). It is cycle of life that we go through especially for those of us who work in a demanding and challenging environment with difficult bosses. Before 6 pm, the boss throws us a piece of work and says she wants it by today. Before we want to go off for prayer meeting, a management meeting is called resulting in late nights for us at the office.
Spiritually I do not see anything wrong with this as work is part of life. What is important is what we do before we start the day in the early hours or how we end our night before we hit the bed.
I think the Psalmist just went about his chores the moment he woke up. That's why he said that he had to eat the bread of sorrows.
2. Bread of sorrows
"Sorrows" - labor, grievous, painful
To eat the bread of sorrows is to experience the pain of our working life. It is compounded by the fact that many of us work not out of choice but out of necessity to put food on the table for our many dependants.
For me, I have to support my family (hubby is retired) and also my 85 year old mother in the nursing home in Penang. My mum's medical expense (each time she is admitted it is about RM4k plus), I also have to bear. In a year, medical expenses can be up to 3 to 4 times a year due to her age. She is also given the best medical care in a private hospital.
This morning I was looking at my monthly budget and realized that I spend less than 10% of my net pay on myself. Where does the rest go?
Seems to me that I am working for others and have been doing so for the past 28 years of my working life - supporting family financially. I used to joke and tell others that I have a number of people on my payroll!
At times I am angry with my siblings who do not give to my mother's care but being a believer in Jesus I am always comforted by the Word of God that tells me that honoring our parents will bring rewards/blessings - all will go well for me on earth and I will enjoy long life.
However the inexplicable fact is that I am experiencing the bread of sorrows having to deal with the financial commitments of taking care of my mother and my children (those who are not working yet when they should). Even those who are working are not earning enough to support themselves. With car, petrol and food to pay, a young person earning RM3k a month hardly have enough left even to give to their parents. Hence the subsidy for the children too!
In my early days, I used to get angry with my hubby for opting for early retirement leaving me to shoulder the financial burden of supporting the family for the past 15 years.
However as I grow older and as I see the blessings flowing and flowing (it is a fact which I cannot deny that my earnings only increases every year) God always have a way of balancing things up for me. He surely knows our suffering and He works things out fairly and justly for us in His time. At times abundant blessings as well.....!
The Lord gave me this word "on the contrary choose to eat the bread of life before you eat the bread of sorrows so that you will not get spiritual food poisoning or indigestion throughout the day".
"The word of God is the bread of life. You need to find time to read My word slowly and meditatively to nourish yourself with the bread of life"
To avoid spiritual food poisoning by the bread of sorrows, the bread of life is the vitamin that will enter your soul/spirit before the day starts. It will strengthen your immune system to fight the attempts of sorrows/anxiety to overload your soul and spirit thus making us like spiritual zombies!
That is why it is important to read the word of God and pray when rising up early and for the late night owls to do the same at night.
I think we cannot avoid eating the bread of sorrows due to the problems we faced in this life. It is inescapable but we need to give thanks no matter what we are going through and strengthen ourselves in prayer, fasting and meditation on the Word.
The Word of God and His promises have sustained me all this years. The Word of God have removed the bitterness of the bread of sorrows from my life!
3. Beloved of the Lord
If we do the above, a relationship between us and God will be created and we will be called His beloved.
Isn't it just wonderful to be called the beloved of God? It means that we are in intimate relationship with God! Yes, even in the midst of the early mornings and late nights, we are in a vital relationship with God. We build our love relationship with God.
Let not the cycle of life prevent us from doing so. God's presence will be with us at our work-place from dawn till dusk if we spend time eating the bread of life!
I also realize something - it is only in the place of prayer that we can build the work of the Lord together with the Lord! No where else!
4. Sleep of the Lord
Sleep is refreshing, rejuvenating, restoring and healing. Sometimes when we work too hard, it's difficult to fall asleep at night but the Lord assured us that if we keep our relationship with Him as His beloved, there will always be times of good and restful sleep for us.
Sleep is also rest from our labors. When we sleep, God continue to work on our behalf. Often when I wake up from sleep, I can hear Father God speak to me about my life, my ministry and my inner struggles.
No wonder the verse also speaks about watchman watching in vain. We can only pray for a certain number of hours in a day but God prays for us all the time even throughout the night!
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